I could sense there was something wrong by the look in my husband's face as he came out of the bathroom with my oldest son. His expression sent an "It wasn't easy" kind of message.
"What happened?", I said
"You know those things they put in the urinals in the men's bathroom?", he said.
"No clue, haven't been to one lately." I didn't like where this was going.
"He touched it."
"What?"
"Yeah, the tablet thing that takes away the smell." I couldn't believe it. The first thing that came to my mind was that this situation wouldn't have occurred under my supervision. However, it wouldn't have been fair to verbalize my thoughts at that moment considering my husband's "I'm not proud of this" expression.
"What were you doing when this was happening?"
"I was going to the bathroom next to him."
"Did you wash his hands?" I actually sounded very calm considering the situation at hand.
"Yes", he said.
"Did you wash them very well?" I couldn't contain myself from somehow expressing what I thought.
"Of course I did", he replied
I have to admit I was absolutely grossed out by the thought of my son touching the urinal tablet and was very much inclined to insult my husband. However, most father's (I don't want to generalize, so please don't be insulted) have a special way of looking after their kids that doesn't usually involve attention to details. For example, details such as as keeping your clothes clean and eating healthy foods. But as mentioned in the book Raising Boys, this male-like approach to childrearing contributes positively to a child's development. That is, a father's playfulness, lack of attention to detail and occasional bending of rules contributes to the development of the more tolerant easy going side of a child's character. So, all things considered, I decided to pick my fights, let it go, and look at the positive side of the situation. My child's bonding with his father (even with the urine tablet episode) will hopefully contribute to his healthy, well-balanced emotional development. Let's just pray next time his contribution doesn't involve contaminants....
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ewwww!!! it's true... dads do have their own "Special" parenting touch. Mine has taught cj that hand-washing after peeing is OPTIONAL. Puh-lease!
Posted by: bananas | April 01, 2008 at 02:07 PM